HIT Workforce Development Initiatives
The HITECH section of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes approximately $2 billion in funding for loans, grants, and technical assistance to support health information exchange planning and development, EHR adoption, health IT extension programs, workforce training, and new technology research and development.
Many of the key workforce provisions are outlined in Section 3016 (.pdf 125 kb), which mandates the Health and Human Services secretary, in consultation with the director of the National Science Foundation, provide assistance to higher education institutions to expand or establish medical health informatics education programs, including certification, undergraduate, and master’s degree programs for both healthcare and IT students.
The types of activities eligible for support include developing and revising curricula, recruiting and retaining students, acquiring instructional equipment, and establishing or enhancing bridge programs between community colleges and universities. Priority funding will be given to existing programs and those that can be completed in six months. The emphasis is intended to speed newly trained workers into the workforce.
Department of Labor Funding
An important ARRA provision separate from HITECH involves $125 million available from the Department of Labor to train workers to pursue careers in healthcare. DOL’s Employment and Training Administration will oversee the funding process and expects to issue between 45 and 65 grants ranging from $2 to $5 million, with grant performance periods up to three years.
DOL’s request for proposals, published in July and due October 5, made special mention of the health IT field, which it defines as the “juncture of information management, medical practice, and the complex business of healthcare delivery.” The grants require “robust strategic partnerships” between at least one organization from each of three categories, including public workforce investment, public and private employers, and the education and training community.
FSU HIT Workforce Abstract (.pdf 158 kb)
Growth and Access In Nursing–and Information Technology (GAIN-IT) Abstract (.pdf 13KB)
GAIN-IT Regional Consortium of Northeast Florida Workforce Proposal (.pdf 44 kb)
|
|
